


Told the story of beyond

by risinggreatness



Series: Circle 'round the sun [15]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-24
Updated: 2015-03-02
Packaged: 2018-02-18 15:33:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2353493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/risinggreatness/pseuds/risinggreatness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>100 various scenes from the Circle ‘round the sun ‘verse, based on an old writing prompt.  Each scene corresponds to a word or phrase prompt and is no longer than a page long.  The scenes span the entirety of the Circle ‘round the sun timeline and vary in degrees of importance; some are simply amusing anecdotes while others are crucial linchpins.</p><p>Scenes are posted in installments of 10 scenes per chapter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_1\. Introduction_

Chewie and Lando navigate the Falcon away from Cloud City, away from Bespin, back out into deep space. Somewhere they can’t be followed.

Once they are in the black, Lando gives full control to the wookiee and absently heads toward the makeshift medical bay where Leia tends to Skywalker. The kid looks like he’s been through hell. His face is beaten and bruised, and he is missing most of his right forearm.

_What kind of deal did I make?_ Lando thinks. _What did Vader want with this boy?_

Lando wants to ask, but he doesn’t even know Skywalker’s name. What business is it of his anyway?

His business is ( _was_ ) the business of keeping the Empire out of his city, something he failed to do. And now he’s abandoning it.

Leia softly says something about finding more bandages and leaves.

And so the ex-con man turned baron administrator and the mysterious Skywalker are left alone. Skywalker seems to take no note of the stranger in his midst, his mind elsewhere.

Lando clears his throat.

Skywalker looks at him, but his expression doesn’t have the same hint of surprise that most have when their solitude is interrupted; however, there is no recognition in his face either.

_Of course not_ , neither of them got a good look at the other until this moment.

“I’m Lando Calrissian. I am – was – the administrator of Cloud City. I’m sorry that the Empire baited you into a trap – it’s not my fault – the deal just kept getting worse! They told me they would leave Cloud City so long as I did as they said! But they lied to me! And then they put Han in carbonite! There was nothing I could do!”

The words fall out of his mouth. He isn’t sure why he feels compelled to explain what happened, but he does. Something about Skywalker makes Lando uncomfortable. Lando decides it’s because he feels bad the kid lost an arm.

The kid just nods, “Luke Skywalker,” then he resumes blankly staring at the wall.

 

* * *

 

_2\. Complicated_

“What’s the matter this time?” Leia asks flatly as Han frantically tinkers away with the wires beneath the control panel.

“The Isu-Sim SSP05 hyperdrive generator isn’t communicating with the – oh, forget it. It’s complicated.”

Leia sighs and smacks the closet bit of the Falcon to her. When she does the ship’s highly modified and very temperamental hyperdrive roars to life Han slides out from underneath the control panel bewildered.

Leia rolls her eyes.

 

* * *

 

_3\. Making history_

The senate hall is dead silent as Ahsoka watches on with her Master. She still doesn’t know him very well, but well enough to be confused by his ability to observe the proceedings. If there’s one thing she can say for sure she knows about him it’s that Master Anakin loves action, and loathes sitting still.

“Master,” Ahsoka inquires hesitantly, “why are we watching the senate vote?”

He raises a single finger to hush her as the senator from Naboo casts her vote in favor of extending an olive branch to the Separatists. His eyes follow her every movement intently. His gaze doesn’t leave her even after she’s returned to her seat.

“Master?” Ahsoka tries again.

He stops staring, looks at Ahsoka, and answers, “History, my young padawan. Don’t ever discount even the smallest of gestures; they may be more important than you anticipate.”

This is not the answer Ahsoka expects, but she accepts it. Master Anakin is already watching the vote again before she can ask any more questions.

 

* * *

 

_4\. Rivalry_

When Leia’s back is turned, Han mercilessly teases Luke about his crush on the princess.

Luke takes the mockery well, but only because he knows that Han is also harboring feelings for the spirited ( _no, infuriating_ ) senator too. Only Luke doesn’t strike at Han when Leia’s back is turned.

Both of their feelings for her are painfully obvious to Leia.

She is a good sport and plays along, pretending not to notice Luke’s infatuation.

Han is a different problem. He’s better at masking his with arrogance and derisive remarks that barely qualify as wit. She plays tougher with him, verbally sparring in a way she’s sure he can’t compete. Sometimes when she’s feeling generous, she’ll let him think he’s winning. It amuses both of them.

 

* * *

 

_5\. Unbreakable_

He’s remained serviceable longer than any of his other astromech constituents.

He’s traveled to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. He’s flown into battle with Anakin-fucking-Skywalker. And survived to tell the tales.

So, R2 refuses to accept that he will break down here. On Dagobah. In a swamp.

Shit.

 

* * *

 

_6\. Obsession_

3PO frets when R2-D2 is away, and even more when the little droid is here, Padmé notices.

“He frets about everything,” she shrugs.

On nights when Anakin is able to escape to Padmé’s apartments, he is usually greeted by C-3PO and then harassed about how R2 is fairing: “Does he take good care of himself? I certainly wish he wouldn’t put himself into these dangerous positions.”

Anakin shakes his head, “You do know that he’s performing the jobs he was designed to do, right? He’ll be around after maintenance.”

R2 takes 3PO’s endless chatter and chastising with a grain of salt. On one wing, it’s nice to know that someone, besides Anakin, is looking out for him. On the other, he would rather 3PO just shut up about the danger R2 puts himself in and just prattled on about place settings, or something else he can tune out.

3PO obsesses about the little things. R2 is just glad to be home.

 

* * *

 

_7\. Eternity_

Ben raises his lightsaber one final time, not in an offensive position or even a defensive one; he just raises it.

It takes an eternity for Vader’s blade to strike.

When it does, Ben is gone.

He falls.

He falls until he is caught; caught by the very ghosts that assailed him for twenty years. Only they are no longer apparitions of his own making; they stand before him real and whole. All save two.

The Jedi Order stands in the distance, but they are of little consequence compared to those who are closest to him.

Satine, far more beautiful than his faded memories, smiles at him broadly, despite the years time cruelly etched on his face. Padmé also smiles, hers is not nearly as bright as Satine’s, but she still waits for another. And Qui-Gon. There are tears on Qui-Gon’s face and he opens his arms wide for his padawan to fall into again.

He lets himself.

Once in their safe embrace, tears stream from his own eyes. Both men fall to their knees.

Two ghosts missing. Anakin’s ghost will not be among them, not yet; but Ahsoka’s absence can only mean that she made it. She’s alive. His compounded guilt mixes with newfound joy.

And silent tears become desperate sobs, until he is breathless.

“Forgive me; I failed.”

“All the cracks you see can be repaired,” Qui-Gon speaks softly. “Let go of that life. You are blameless, Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan buries his face deeper into the robes of his master – his father.

 

* * *

 

_8\. Gateway_

There are two sides to the clone factory on Kamino divided by a gateway.

One side of the gate is the factory. Until they are assigned to a unit to go through basic training, the clones are just numbers. They are free-thinking and separate, but there is nothing through which they can define themselves here.

On the other side of the gate, clones are individuals. They have names. They have personalized armor. They can be told apart. Standard regulation is ignored.

For clones, the other side of the gate means entering a world of war and violence. But it also means becoming someone. No one is a clone on the other side, not really.

 

* * *

 

_9\. Death_

Sometime, in another life, he knew this woman. She meant something to someone who had mattered to him. Now he holds her life in his grip.

She is an infection; like an infection she needs to be purged. She does not belong in the Galactic Empire, her idealism and pacifism have no place in it.

Better to cut off her air then to let her dangle.

She struggles. They all do.

Tearing at the invisible fist around her white neck she tries to speak. The words sound familiar, but they are of no consequence. The light in her is dimming; in the end, she will just be another body to step over.

When it goes out Vader relaxes his control over the Force and lets her fall in a heap to the ground.

Members of the Death Watch look on in astonishment. For constituents of a society which prides itself on violence they have seen very little.

“Mandalore was built in the blood of a hundred systems, why should you bother with legality?”

 

* * *

 

_10\. Opportunities_

The pathways open to him through the Jedi are limited. If they prohibit him from taking the trials, how is he supposed to become the master they want him to be?

Anakin sees no reason why he shouldn’t take the Chancellor up on his offer.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 100 various scenes from the Circle ‘round the sun ‘verse, based on an old writing prompt. Each scene corresponds to a word or phrase prompt and is no longer than a page long. The scenes span the entirety of the Circle ‘round the sun timeline and varying degrees of importance; some are simply amusing anecdotes while others are crucial linchpins.
> 
> Scenes are posted in installments of 10 scenes per chapter.

_11\. 33%_

During a battle you always look out for the man beside you. You fight for the same cause, no matter the cost.

But when Masters Kenobi, Skywalker, and Padawan Tano return from their tours of duty, there is no keeping them from bickering amongst themselves; no telling what they will be arguing about or which one will be the out-numbered in this battle.

The other Jedi shake their heads at their squabbling. So long as they pull together when it counts.

 

* * *

 

_12\. Dead wrong_

“You’ve connected the power cup-links incorrectly,” Ahsoka points out to Han.

For the few weeks that she’s known him, he’s been trying to makes repairs to his ship, which by any Galactic Republic standards would have been in a scrap pile.

When she suggested as much, she was sure Han was going to reach for his blaster. Luke and Leia looked offended too. From what she can glean about their adventures, this ship has saved their necks more than a dozen times. None of them will hear of replacing it.

Han glares at her.

“What do you mean I’ve connected them wrong?”

“I mean that if you want to keep this piece of trash alive any longer you shouldn’t connect the cup-links like that.” She takes the links from Han and reconnects them in new places.

“But if you connect them there –”

“If you connect them anywhere else the ship will explode!” she snaps. “Excuse me for not wanting to be dead because someone else put this hunk of junk together wrong.” She proceeds to explain the merits of the sockets she’s chosen versus the dangers of elsewhere in a ship of this make and condition.

Down the corridor Chewie chuckles.

To Ahsoka’s surprise Han isn’t seething for being proven incapable of keeping his ship together. In fact, he’s actually quite impressed.

“Get some goggles, Ahsoka. I’m going to need an extra pair of hands repairing the main switchboard. I wouldn’t want to be dead wrong again.”

 

* * *

 

_13\. Running away_

The sand sinks beneath his feet making it harder. ( _Isn’t it hard enough?_ )

He has to make his escape in the dead of night, the only time Tatooine is cold, and the one thing Anakin isn’t prepared for.

He doesn’t go far before turning back.

He can’t leave, not now. There’s no way he can survive; no where he can go, no way he can leave his mother. As much as he hates being treated as less than he is, running away won’t solve anything. Not for him.

Something tells him it never will.

 

* * *

 

_14\. Judgment_

A small ship is made smaller by prying eyes, and Ahsoka feels them every minute.

They never say anything to her, but they don’t have to; their glares say everything she needs to hear. They say she abandoned the Jedi in their hour of need. They say she ran when she should have fought. They say her training is tainted by a traitor. They say she is a failure.

Her stiff wrist and empty lightsaber buckle remind her of that already. She doesn’t need anything else to tell her what she did and did not do.

She’s done whatever she can.

The eyes never thank her for helping them to fight another day. Yes, for everything Ahsoka has done wrong, she has done something equally right.

“Let them think what they want to. I made the right choice,” she says to herself, over and over again.

But somewhere in the back of her head there’s a smaller, less sure voice.

 _I hope_ is all it says.

 

* * *

 

_15\. Seeking solace_

Padmé hangs back as the meeting draws to a conclusion.

Noticing, Bail asks her to stay for dinner; Colton Alde invites himself along too. Colton commandeers what would usually be pleasant conversation to extending the earlier debate. Padmé suspects he never stops working and feels for his wife.

At the opposite end of the table, Leia sits quietly, kicking her short legs out of boredom. It makes Padmé think of Leia’s father; he couldn’t sit still either, especially not when faced with Colton Alde.

There is his fidgeting, his glare, his furrowed brow – his spirit. She recognizes all the little pieces of Anakin in their daughter and her heart aches.

She can’t look anymore. She excuses herself and hides away in the Organas’ parlor. Padmé wishes she would cry, if it could make the pain in her chest disappear. Pain turns to fury.

_How can Vader still do this to her?_

She reaches for the nearest object, a porcelain cup, and smashes it on the table; it is the only thing she can do to subside her rage. A shattered piece cuts deep into her palm and she bleeds, but she doesn’t feel it. The only thing she feels is the hole in her heart.

Behind her, the door slides partially open. Leia peaks through the crack, letting a thin line of light into the darkened room. The girl looks hard and long at the woman standing alone in the gloom with a broken cup and a bleeding hand.

The child opens the door further, letting the light shine in and blinding Padmé. She tries to shield her eyes; her arm won’t move.

She looks down and Leia is holding her bleeding hand.

Pain shoots through her arm, but her heart is briefly whole.

 

* * *

 

_16\. Excuses_

Ben plans his visits to the Lars homestead to be few and far between, but it’s hard when Padmé keeps pressing him for more details about the boy.

It hurts him a little more each time to refuse her.

It is her one connection to her son, but it is for the best.

 

* * *

 

_17\. Vengeance_

The official report claims Order 66 was issued to eliminate the Jedi traitors. It says nothing of how good men and women were murdered by their own troops. There is a list; Ahsoka reads it again and again: Mace Windu*, Kit Fisto*, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Plo Koon, Luminara Unduli, Cin Drallig, Aayla Secura, Barriss Offee. It doesn’t end there.

All of them were teachers, mentors, friends.

_*The report lists these names among the first traitors, killed preceding Order 66, initiating the executions by attempting to assassinate Emperor Palpatine. There is also a wanted list. The report makes no mention of Anakin Skywalker._

Master Plo’s death hits hardest.

Something stirs in Ahsoka.

Days later, she sees an obituary for Padmé Amidala. The details are few, but they ring untrue. It claims she was killed in an attempt to return to Naboo, Ahsoka suspects a more sinister cause.

It stirs again, weaker.

Vader kills Obi-Wan on Mustafar.

Nothing.

 

* * *

 

_18\. Love_

He walks through the desert in a haze; the twin suns beating down relentlessly. Nowhere is his destination. A place where she is alive is a mirage.

Ben finds himself at his door, but can’t bring himself to enter. If he goes in, he will never see her blue eyes again. And if he returns to the desolate landscape, he won’t come back. He’ll spend the rest of his days searching for that illusion.

He opens the door; there is still a task to be done, the boy to think of. ( _Wrongs to set right._ )

Inside the ghosts are waiting for him.

It takes all the energy Ben has left to collapse into a chair. He puts his head in his hands and it is hours before he moves again.

He gave Satine his heart when they were young, now she’s gone. His heart is shattered. He is lucky he gave it away when he did or he would have broken it long before. ( _Who was it that told him he had a heart of glass?_ )

The suns set and darkness settles throughout the house. An old holo flickers to life, casting a blue glow about the room, and Padmé’s image appears.

“Ben? Ben, are you there?”

He makes no effort to respond.

She’s using the same tone she did when he shed himself of his old name, “We just got the news. Ben, I’m so sorry. Tell me how I can help… Please, Ben. Please, answer me.”

He just wants her to leave him alone, but he knows she won’t unless he replies. “I felt it.”

“What?”

“I felt her die. And I couldn’t do anything.”

He can’t bear to hear anymore. He switches off the holo and slumps back into his seat.

The place where his heart should be is empty. The emptiness swallows him.

By breaking light, love is his enemy. But he doesn’t let go.

 

* * *

 

_19\. Tears_

Droids don’t – can’t – cry.

The tears would make their circuits go haywire.

That doesn’t mean they don’t feel.

R2-D2 is worried when they decide to erase C-3PO’s memory. Memory wipes can be dangerous to a droid’s personality, but people don’t usually notice the subtle changes. People don’t care, so long as the droid is functional.

But when 3PO comes through the process unaltered R2 is relieved.

 

* * *

 

_20\. My inspiration_

It is the resonance of his lightsaber that gets Anakin’s blood pumping in battle.

It hums as it slashes through the air. It chants as blasts from the enemy collide with it, one by one. It sings as it cuts through Separatist cannon fodder.

Its melodies echo in his ear.

But there is one sound Anakin loves above all others: the harmony it makes when it strikes another blade.

The din of a battle is a symphony and it’s time for Anakin’s aria.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 100 various scenes from the Circle ‘round the sun ‘verse, based on an old writing prompt. Each scene corresponds to a word or phrase prompt and is no longer than a page long. The scenes span the entirety of the Circle ‘round the sun timeline and varying degrees of importance; some are simply amusing anecdotes while others are crucial linchpins.

_21\. Never again_

“You said that the last time you crash landed the ship.”

“I didn’t have any other options this time!” Anakin says defensively.

“You said that last time too,” Obi-Wan reminds him.

“Here’s an idea: how about, next time, we don’t let Anakin fly!” Ahsoka chimes in.

“But where would be the fun in that?” Anakin grins fiendishly.

 

* * *

 

_22\. Online_

The flight instructor talks to him like he’s incapable of doing his own droid’s upkeep. “Every time you return from a mission, your first order of business should be to put them through a maintenance check. Doing this will ensure the astromech is in top condition, thereby ensuring it will do the best possible job for you.”

If Anakin didn’t have to get a piloting license, he wouldn’t even be here.

He can’t explain it, but flying is second nature to him. Put him behind the console of any ship and he can maneuver it through an asteroid field, no problem.

But leave him alone with a pompous flight instructor, who can’t tell the difference between a YG-4210 and a YG-4400 light freighter, lecturing him about astromech droid safety and he’s ready to impale himself on his own lightsaber.

“I’ve put one of the unused, previously standard issue astromech units in the docking complex for you. Its series-model code: R2-D2.”

“Great! Thanks,” Anakin shouts, he’s practically out the door.

He’s lucky he got one at all. Being a Jedi padawan has not deepened his pockets any. He’ll be paying interest on this droid until he’s a master. Most Jedi just borrow whatever astromechs are available, but Anakin wants one he can keep, one he can trust. He is going to use it as often as he can.

He won’t be confined to this rock or any other, the way he was bound to Tatooine.

The instructor yells after him, “It’s not online yet! You’ll have to take it to maintenance to get it operational!” He’s bolting down the corridor, but Anakin waves back to say he got the message.

In the hangar, Anakin asks the deck chief where the droid has been set aside. The chief regards the sixteen-year old with some amusement and points to a corner.

There, amongst more recent models, is a new, blue and white astro droid.

Anakin gets on his knees, in front of the little droid, and opens the front panel. It doesn’t take him long to activate the astromech and within minutes R2-D2 is whirling to life.

It bleeps a greeting.

“Hey there, R2 – little buddy. I hope you’re up for some action. We’re going to be seeing a lot of it.”

R2 chirps something in reply, which Anakin roughly translates to: “Hell yes!”

 

* * *

 

_23\. Failure_

The cave lingers in Luke’s mind. He wants to go back, to try again.

But Master Yoda says it is not wise. And so they train on.

The vision of Han and Leia is clear and strong; stronger than his desire to revisit the cave. He is confident in his training, in what Master Yoda and the cave have taught him. He cannot let them suffer.

Master Yoda advises against it.

Ben advises against it.

They speak only of what they fear. They lack faith in his abilities. What does it matter if he can’t control the Force? He feels it; it is with him. He won’t follow in Vader’s path. He will return. _A promise._ They suspect a trap. They ask him to sacrifice Han and Leia; in honor of what they fight for. He fights for it too. _A hope._

Luke knows there is a choice coming. But this is not it; this is not where he will fail.

 

* * *

 

_24\. Rebirth_

His vision is blurred, but Luke is near enough. He can make out the scar on _his_ son’s cheek, some adventure he’ll never hear the tale of.

He manages the best smile he can muster. He will show that he is not afraid.

“…Father…” the voice is distant and fades fast. What Luke says next he cannot hear, but it is full of love.

Anakin awakens free of the weight of the suit.

He is on his back staring at the sky; the stars have never shone with such perfect light. Gazing at them is as natural as breathing. His chest rises and falls with ease. A cool breeze blows across his body, he relishes the feeling. Grass tickles the fingers of his left hand; how could he have forgotten these magnificent sensations?

Steady footsteps approach him in his reverie. He doesn’t move. He wants to cherish this.

“Anakin…” he knows that voice. Every tone of it is precious to him. His trance becomes a dream.

“Padmé…” he whispers. The name has not passed his lips in over twenty years. He savors the sound. He stands to meet her, marveling at the mechanics of his own body.

She is, as ever, more beautiful than the heavens. He could stare for a thousand years, but his arms feel empty and yearn to hold her, to hold her for all the time they missed.

They run the last few steps to each other. She buries her face in his shoulder and he in hers. Embracing her is the only thing that matters. He let go once, he’ll never do it again. Never.

She pulls away; she needs to see his face more clearly. He wonders how he must seem to her. Gentle fingers trace the stitches and caress his burns. Death has not erased time or mistakes, only freed him of them.

He wants to weep, but the touch of her lips stays his tears.

She pulls away as others make their approach. Mom. Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan…

His face is not what matters to them. What matters is what’s in his heart.

His heart is full of love.

 

* * *

 

_25\. Breaking away_

Only mom is awake as they make ready to leave.

The second sun is almost over the horizon when they step out into the still morning.

“Anakin,” she calls after them.

Master Jinn nods to him approvingly.

Anakin goes back to her, standing in the entryway to the homestead.

She places a kiss on his forehead and her warm hands wipe the dirt from his face. Her fingers trace his cheeks as though she were drying absent tears.

“Go on,” she says.

He should say something, do something.

He doesn’t.

Instead he grins; a final reminder this is what he wants, and runs after the Jedi.

The heat rises with the suns, but Anakin doesn’t feel it. The open sky beckons to him.

 

* * *

 

_26\. Forever and a day_

When a blaster shot comes for CC-2224, Cody is awakened from a deep sleep. But it’s not the pain in his chest which forces him to his knees.

The weight of his actions – his betrayals, so many betrayals – devastates him.

_Oh my brothers, what have I done?_

The rebel insurgents close in and their troops retreat, leaving him to die among the carrion.

He tries to get back on his feet, but his injury and shaking legs won’t allow it. He stares at the ground breathless, clutching his armor. It feels cold and foreign, not like himself at all.

A familiar hum rings in his ears and a voice orders, “Get up, traitor.”

“I can’t,” he rasps, but he squares his shoulders. If this is to be his end, justifiably ( _mercifully_ ) slain by a Jedi, he will meet it with dignity. He looks up at the rebel through the eyes of his helmet.

Standing over him: little Ahsoka Tano, only she is not so little anymore. Circumstances have aged her. The once bright and lively girl is only a solider now.

“Remove your helmet. Clone or not, don’t die a faceless death.”

He does as she commands. Her face is unchanging; he wonders if she recognizes him ( _she used to_ ).

“CC-2224, Cody – if you still answer to that name – for crimes against the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order, I hereby sentence you to death. Do you have any last words?”

“Only to say I have been a number all my life, but I am also a man and today I take responsibility for my actions.”

Tano nods and readies herself to perform the execution. He bows his head, preparing himself.

Cody dies before the stroke of the lightsaber falls.

 

* * *

 

_27\. Lost and found_

Damn jawas and their fucking deactivators. If it wasn’t for the restraining bolt he would taze their asses all across the wastelands.

He doesn’t have time for this!

But 3PO is right about one thing, R2 has no idea where he’s going. He doesn’t have a damn clue where he’s supposed to find Kenobi. ( _At least he had enough sense not to head out into open desert on Tatooine._ )

He has a mission and he’ll be damned if he doesn’t see it through.

The sandcrawler opens and the jawas go about their business preparing the droids for sale. R2 ignores the goings-on, formulating an escape plan.

If he can just make his getaway while – no fucking way.

It can’t be.

But it is. The kid couldn’t be anyone else.

Screw what Kenobi says, R2’s luck just changed for the better.

 

* * *

 

_28\. Light_

Daughter watches over the son and loves him.

Daughter watches over the daughter and loves her.

They are protected by Her love and the love of others.

She knows not even He can shatter love.

He hasn’t done it yet.

There is a man who has love buried deep inside him; Daughter knows their love will bring it out of him again.

 

* * *

 

_29\. Dark_

Son searches for the son and hates him.

Son searches for the daughter and hates her.

He is sure She is hiding them.

He curses Her.

He curses Father ( _long dead_ ).

His fury fills a man with hatred.

 

* * *

  
_30\. Faith_

He can’t believe it.

As much as he wants to believe, Luke is more inclined to agree with Han ( _hokey religions and mystical energy fields_ ). Though he’s not as cynical as Han, the way Uncle Owen used to talk about the Jedi seems to have stuck with him.

Ben’s teachings weren’t enough to convince him. Luke could barely reach out to the Force, let alone grasp it.

In the time since Ben’s death, Luke persuaded himself he only thought he felt something because he wanted to.

Training with the probe and the blast shield, his shot at the Death Star, they weren’t anything more than luck ( _no such thing_ ). Then on Hoth – escaping the wampa – he was half-frozen and delirious, and against his better judgment, he followed those delusions to this gods-forsaken place.

“That is why you fail.”

Now he’s seen the Force at work. He can’t deny it, but he can’t feel it yet.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 100 various scenes from the Circle ‘round the sun ‘verse, based on an old writing prompt. Each scene corresponds to a word or phrase prompt and is no longer than a page long. The scenes span the entirety of the Circle ‘round the sun timeline and varying degrees of importance; some are simply amusing anecdotes while others are crucial linchpins.

_31\. Colors_

Giving up worldly possessions isn’t hard for Anakin. He doesn’t have very much to begin with; what could there possibly be to keep him on the ground?

Obi-Wan helps him to construct one of the few things he will own.

“Choose its parts wisely. The blade should serve you, but also be an extension of yourself. No lightsaber should feel more natural in your hand than your own.”

Anakin does as Obi-Wan says, but when it comes time to select a crystal he doesn’t need to dwell on what color it will be.

He will always have the sky; his lightsaber will share its color.

 

* * *

 

_32\. Exploration_

Yoda meditates while the younglings practice around him. He likes to watch over them; a reminder of how precious youth is, but today he has another reason to be amongst them.

Reaching out with the Force he searches for a presence ready to begin their training; one that may temper young Skywalker’s reckless nature. Yoda is confident a student will have as much to teach the Jedi Knight as he will have to teach them.

Many of the younglings are eager, but they do not match Skywalker’s character. They would be easily overwhelmed by his tendency to leap without looking. If Skywalker is to tutor a padawan, they must be unafraid to jump with him.

Another presence enters the room: tardy for the session, yet no less eager than the rest. She hurries to take her place among the rest of the younglings, trying her best to hide her lateness from Master Drallig. She cannot mask the fundamental nature for which Yoda has been searching.

Yoda considers her further.

Ahsoka Tano, a curious young togrutan with a proclivity for trouble. Often chastised for wandering around parts of Coruscant she shouldn’t. A short temper and stubborn.

He is reminded of his first impressions of Skywalker.

Dangerous it could be to assign a padawan to Skywalker so like him, but he doesn’t see how else to get through to the unruly Jedi.

 

* * *

 

_33\. Seeing red_

Steela adjusts the sights on her long-range blaster.

Saw commands the rebels to hold steady and wait for Steela’s signal.

Ahsoka’s fingers curl around the hilt of her lightsaber. Reason tells her not use it, even though she can feel the Force straining within her.

It has been a year or so since she has been able to use the Force to her full potential. Menial uses only: mind tricks, throwing small rocks as a diversions, dodging blasts during skirmishes; to use it any more would be a signal flare to the Empire ( _to Vader_ ).

She can’t ( _doesn’t_ ) meditate any more.

She feels disconnected, and yet the Force is never more alive in her than just before a fight. She must actively keep her breath steady in order to quiet the Force ( _she never had to before_ ).

Steela pulls the trigger.

Her target falls dead.

Saw leads the insurgents down the slope.

Ahsoka charges after them her hand moving from lightsaber to blaster, Force unbridling itself. Her eyes cloud over and shoots into the fray, never missing, but never feeling the Force as she should.

 

* * *

 

_34\. Shades of grey_

It is easy to misinterpret Breha’s apprehension as a barrier to their plans, but she’s anxious. Padmé understands. The queen of Alderaan worries for her husband. She worries for her planet and those foolhardy enough to join them. She worries for her daughter.

This alliance will draw unwanted attention to Alderaan – to Leia.

“We can’t just sit by and wait for something to change, because it won’t,” Colton argues. He’s trying to be gentle, but he’s not particularly good at it. He just sounds abrasive.

“I know. I just wish there was another way,” Breha’s voice trails off and her eyes go to Bail.

He’s the one who asked them here. He wants to build the alliance further, to begin an actual resistance against the Imperial Senate, but he wants Breha’s support. He needs her by his side.

“We don’t have the luxury of the law anymore. We must do what we can, any way we can. Righteous causes do not always breed righteous means. But I agree with Colton, we can’t let that stop us from trying to effect change,” Padmé reasons.

Breha responds in kind, “If you could assure me no harm would come to Alderaan, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. People will be hurt. People, who have no stake in this rebellion, will be caught in the crossfire; so you’ll forgive me if I am hesitant to give this my full commitment.”

Colton and Padmé exchange a glance; if they cannot convince her, Bail will not move forward.

Without Bail, the alliance has already failed. They need someone to rally behind, someone to show the way: a voice of the rebellion.

Breha speaks softly, but not at all timidly, “I am not as brave as the rest of you. Perhaps I shall be emboldened by your lead.”

 

* * *

 

_35\. Forgotten_

Padmé kicks herself for letting his flattery work its way to her heart.

She acted as if no one had ever paid _that_ kind of attention to her before. She let her guard down when he flashed a smile at her and gave in when he showed her Coruscant’s high society.

How could she have acted like such a stupid, flighty schoolgirl for _him_?

But in truth, no one has ever shown her _that_ kind of attention before, or, at least, not that she ever noticed.

It was so nice to have someone to talk to, to spend time with.

But he’s shown his true colors now.

If he had been honest with her from the start, maybe then, Padmé could have looked past their differing politics. But he pretended to share her ideals; pretended and then shoved it all back in her face.

And he still expects her to be waiting for him at the end of his meetings.

Padmé is ready end her relationship with Rush, if only she could figure out how.

 

* * *

 

_36\. Dreamer_

There are three grave markers in the sand. ( _Step-grandma, step-grandpa, grandmom._ )

By Luke’s reckoning, there should be two more. ( _Mom, dad._ )

Uncle Owen says there aren’t any because mom is buried on the planet where she died ( _where he was born_ ) and there was no body after dad’s freighter was shot down.

It’s not customary, but he wishes something was there commemorating them.

He wonders how dad did it: leave Tatooine. He had a life elsewhere, a wife, a family about to start when they both died. Uncle Owen says Luke was delivered to them by a friend of his parents, a friend who never came back afterwards.

He was left on this planet and doomed to be buried next to the grandparents he never knew, and without the parents he never had.

 

* * *

 

_37\. Mist_

Yavin. They were there long before the Alliance. ( _Too many steps ahead._ )

More intelligence reports about the battle leak to the public. They slip from the Empire’s grasp, their grip weakens. Ahsoka believes less and less of it.

That handful of X-wings could make a run on a battle station and survive, let alone destroy it: impossible.

The morning mist drifts in through the open door to their current headquarters. Saw reads the latest report in silence, shaking his head in disbelief. Ahsoka waits for him to say something.

“The reports all agree: Tarkin dead, Vader escaped. The Alliance is heralding some pilot named Skywalker as the ‘Hero of Yavin’. He’s being promoted too.”

Saw tosses the report aside. Ahsoka watches as the datapad slides across the table, unblinking.

“You can have a look at it if you want. Maybe you’ll see something, I didn’t.”

She reaches for the report, fixating on the name: Commander Skywalker.

Ahsoka freezes, her mind in a fog. The Force blocking her sight.

_It can’t be._

The only one that could have made the attack run on the Death Star is long gone.

( _Vader still lives._ )

 

* * *

 

_38\. Burning_

Always rumors.

Unlike Yavin, there are no official reports from Bespin. The only news of the incident that reaches them comes from hearsay.

This time, the Empire does a better job disguising its failure. Bespin is in lockdown. There is no communication in or out of Cloud City, not since its administrator disappeared and the Empire swooped in.

It’s the Empire’s silence since, which concerns Ahsoka.

Whispers in the silence tell of a deal, an escape, and a duel.

The deal means little to Ahsoka: a bounty hunter named Fett is given a prize for following an Alliance leader to Bespin. Ahsoka wonders if his face is the same as the ones who fought at her side, the ones who have trained blasters against her.

The escape concerns Saw more than it does Ahsoka: the Alliance leader managed to make it out of the city, supposedly with the administrator. It puts Saw on edge, the almost-capture of the leader of another rebel faction. They don’t work together, but they’re working to the same goal; their competition only extends so far.

The duel is shrouded in mystery. No one is certain it even happened, but no one disagrees about the alleged opponents.

There are romantic accounts of the ‘Hero of Yavin’ racing to Bespin to rescue the rebel leader. In their flight, they were confronted by Vader. Skywalker dueled Vader, becoming a martyr, while the rebel leader made it to safety. No one knows what really happened to him.

Many suppose he died protecting the leader of his cause. Some live in hope he escaped, though they have no idea how.

The only thing anyone can say for certain: Vader has given up his pursuit of Skywalker.

Ahsoka can’t shake the stories. Questions pound in her mind louder and more painfully than they did when she first heard the name. Who is he? Did someone resurrect the name to frighten Vader? Or is there truly another Skywalker in the galaxy?

Ahsoka sits alone, twirling the hilt of her lightsaber, burning for answers, not knowing if she actually wants them.

 

* * *

 

_39\. Out of time_

There is a glass pane between her and the galaxy.

It turns on without her.

All that she knows crumbles and turns to dust.

A beloved home stands empty and abandoned. A young rebellion struggles to carry on. A dear friend ages alone. An old love lives in hate. Her heart yearns for them all – to fill them with love and hope once more.

There is a single joy, watching the systems spin, her son and daughter grow tall and strong. Padmé hopes they know she is always beside them.

All that she knows can and will be rebuilt.

Yet she remains, unchanging, behind the glass.

 

* * *

 

_40\. Knowing how_

Anakin escapes punishment from Master Drallig by running through the hangar bay. He’s going to prove the Council wrong, but if he can avoid getting in trouble, he will. The Troll storms right by him as he ducks beneath a BTL Y-wing, silently laughing.

Anakin stays put, waiting for the coast to clear before he goes in the other direction. Balancing himself, legs cramped from crouching, he places a steadying hand on the starship.

The touch is a shock and a shiver up his arm. Allowing his fingers to gently caress the cool, metal hull, Anakin admires the ship. He fights the overwhelming urge to examine the engine. In all his time as a mechanic, he’s never seen anything like her.

“You ever fly in one of these?” Obi-Wan asks, smirking.

Anakin can’t be bothered with the teasing in Obi-Wan’s tone.

“Never,” he replies, unable to remove the awe from his voice. He cannot tear his eyes away, all his attention is on the ship.

“Want to?”

Before he knows it, Anakin is clambering into one of the cockpits and the glass blast shield is coming down over his head.

As he settles into the other cockpit, Obi-Wan warns over the comm, “Don’t touch anything. You haven’t been taught how to operate one of these, and I’d rather not get into trouble because you were mucking things up, Skywalker.”

Anakin’s not listening. His blood is pulsing in his ears. The excited tingle returns to his fingers.

He doesn’t need to be taught.

With the flip of a few switches this engine roars to life.

“What are you doing?” Obi-Wan asks, panicked.

Anakin breathes deeply, relaxing.

“Anakin! What do you think you’re doing?!”

He doesn’t think – he feels and pushes hard on the console, taking to the air.


	5. Chapter 5

_41\. Fork in the road_

Damn it. He can’t shake the sick feeling in his gut.

They’re under his skin now.

( _Why did he have to wish the kid luck?_ )

“Hang on, Chewie! We’re going back!”

* * *

_42\. Start_

“I’ve selected Mara to go on recon with you.”

Luke’s head whips around, “What?”

“If it’s alright with you,” Karrde adds, with no small amount of sarcasm.

Collecting himself, “No, it’s fine.” If either of them is going to have a problem, it’ll be Jade.

He meets her in the docking bay. She greets him with a cold detachment only she can achieve, “Skywalker.”

“Jade.” A beat. “Shall we?”

She scoffs and boards the ship without another word.

“Good to see you too,” Luke mutters and follows her.

Uncle Owen or Aunt Beru never took him to the slave markets on Tatooine, but still Luke recognizes the stench. The Zygerrians attempt to mask it with perfume, but it does not disguise the mix of sweat and blood.

Luke fights the urge to dry heave.

His discomfort doesn’t escape Jade’s notice, “Do a few slavers make the great Jedi nervous?”

Hushing her, “Do you want to blow our cover?” He tries to focus on the mission, but it’s Jade who holds his attention.

Her presence exudes hate – not hate – bitterness, mistrust. Ahsoka said Jade seemed as if she had been discarded and forgotten for most of her life. Too many people lied to her and brushed her aside. Luke doesn’t want to be one of them.

“I grew up on a moisture farm not too far from Mos Eisley on Tatooine; slave markets make me sick.”

Jade – Mara is quiet for a little while. Luke worries he said too much – made her draw further into herself.

Finally, she says, “No wonder you act so naïve.”

Maybe he imagines it, but Luke thinks a sly smile cracks her hardened face.

* * *

_43\. Nature’s fury_

They come out of hyperspace in an uncharted meteor shower. Luke takes piloting control from R2, “Hang on!”

The X-wing swerves and dives around the pounding space rocks. R2 relishes flying alongside someone with Jedi reflexes again. It always manages to make things more exciting.

One meteor shoots out from behind another, one Luke either can’t see or doesn’t sense coming straight for them. R2 whistles panicked.

“Shit.”

Luke reacts just in time, but during their tail spin another one comes out of nowhere, smashing into the rear engine. The force of the collision knocks Luke into the control panel. He passes out.

R2 overrides the safety and takes control of the fighter. His navigation is not as elegant, but it’s enough to avoid any more disastrous blows. He switches the distress signal on.

They are adrift for hours; R2 has no means of assessing the damage to the ship – or Luke.

The commgrill crackles, “New Republic X-wing 09-813, this is _Wild Karrde_ answering your hail. Come in.”

Luke stirs and groans in the cockpit, enough to confirm he’s alive, but not enough to respond.

R2 sends a reply on the same frequency: pilot unconscious, request emergency docking.

“Standby, we’re readying the tractor beam for rescue.”

* * *

_44\. At peace_

Before he came to Naboo, Anakin had no idea it was possible for heat to be pleasant. Now it is one of his favorite things.

This is his retreat – his escape from responsibility.

It doesn’t match the sky for adventure, but it has other advantages.

There is a soft touch at his elbow, and Padmé is at his side.

Here they can be husband and wife.

* * *

_45\. Heart song_

The sound of his voice is a distant murmur; it is a tide pulling her in from a contented haze.

“Hmm?”

Anakin repeats himself, “I was just wondering what it would like if we had a normal marriage.”

Teasingly, “I imagine it would probably involve a lot less sneaking around.”

They both chuckle, but it was a nightmare pulling off this getaway. Making excuses to leave work and come home; Anakin getting leave from the front, from the Order, from training Ahsoka. Managing it all at once was about as easy as hooking a gooberfish.

Padmé continues more thoughtfully, “We’d get to spend more time together – live together. Live honestly.”

Anakin nods dreamily, closing his eyes and picturing their life together.

“Have children –”

Peering at her, “Kids?”

“It’s a possibility. We wouldn’t have to have kids.”

“No. No. I like the idea. Little Yeb-yeb and Blix: terrors of the Senate and the Order.”

Padmé laughs delighted, “Now we have to name them Yeb-yeb and Blix.”

“Then they better have your brains because they’ll have no friends at school.”

“And they’ll have your looks?”

“Of course! And we’ll bring them here for birthdays and summers and any time in between.”

The day slips by as they trade silly, ridiculous ideas and make earnest plans for the future. Some notions change slightly, but no matter what the future holds they know they couldn’t be happier.

* * *

_46\. Reflection_

Senator Organa walks into a shouting match when he returns to his office.

Padmé unabashedly explains the cause. The pair of them, she and the tetchy man who was sitting in the office when she arrived, were debating the finer points of Alderaan’s contract with the Trade Federation.

The senator laughs heartily. To the other man, “I knew the two of you would get along. It’s just like listening to you.” Chuckling to himself, “ _Debating._ ”

Padmé balks. The man may be able to out-talk her, but he exhibits very little subtly. She’d be surprised if he had any aptitude for politics.

She furrows her brow in distaste.

“Padmé, I’d like you to meet Colton Alde, my chief-of-staff. Colton, this is Senator Amidala of Naboo. I’ll be mentoring her through her freshman term.”

The pair stares at each other, bewildered.

Alde extends an arm, “I look forward to working with you, Senator.”

Taking his hand, “And I you.”

* * *

_47\. Perfection_

“Well, this is just perfect,” Ahsoka Tano says, downcast.

Obi-Wan stops to find out what’s troubling her.

“I can’t find Master Skywalker.”

Obi-Wan snorts behind his hand ( _Anakin would flinch violently if he heard himself called that outside of any sort of formal setting_ ). He thinks he might have an idea where the wayward Jedi knight snuck off to, but he’s not about to tell Ahsoka.

Annoyed by Anakin’s lack of responsibility for his padawan, Obi-Wan takes pity on her.

“Anything I can help you with?”

“Oh! No, Master Kenobi. You don’t have to, I’m sure you have more important things to do.”

“Now right now, I don’t. But first, don’t let Anakin hear you call him ‘Master Skywalker.’”

“Yes, Master.”

“Obi-Wan is just fine for me too.” 

He’ll have to chastise Anakin later; it won’t do any good now.

* * *

_48\. Everyday magic_

“Anakin, where are you going?”

“The Chancellor asked to see me. I’ll be back soon.”

A lame excuse and probably not any better than the truth, but Anakin would rather Obi-Wan be mad at him for meeting with the Chancellor than meeting with Padmé – his wife. ( _He’ll think of a better excuse next time._ )

He sprints to a speeder; getting away is almost too easy.

“Skywalker!”

Or not.

“Last time you took out a speeder you didn’t check it back in,” says the deckhand. “Make sure you don’t forget again.”

“Yes sir.”

He breathes a sigh of relief and gets in the speeder before anyone else can stop him. It could have been so much worse, but he’ll _definitely_ have to be more careful next time.

Stepping into her apartments sends a shiver up Anakin’s spine. It’s a new experience for him; the familiarity and sense of belonging somewhere. He can’t put the right words to the feeling.

“You’re back!” Her arms slip around him and her head rests against his chest, “How did you get away from the Temple?”  
  
Swallowing, “I had to tell a little lie to Obi-Wan.”

“Oh,” she is disappointed. She brushes it away, “Well, you’re home now.”

Padmé stands on her toes to kiss him.

Though she probably means ‘home’ as in Coruscant, Anakin warms. ( _Home, that’s what this feeling is._ ) 

He lifts Padmé gently in his arms; her feet no longer touching the ground.

* * *

_49\. Umbrella_

Swearing under her breath, Padmé ducks into the rain. ( _So much for being appropriately dressed up for her address to the mid-rim finance committee._ ) Less concerned with puddles soaking her hem than the ruin of her notes, she cradles her datapads in her arms and hurries her steps.

The thrumming on her head stops before she reaches the next overhang.

“You looked like you could use some assistance.”

Padmé is caught off guard when she recognizes one of the freshman senators from the other day holding an umbrella over her. Flushing deeply when he smiles at her, “Thank you, Senator…”

“Rush.”

“Thank you, Senator Rush,” she repeats more confidently.

This makes him laugh, “Rush _Clovis_ and you are Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo.”

She covers her face in embarrassment, “I’m sorry I didn’t remember you.”

“It’s alright. We were all overwhelmed on our first day. I just have a knack for names. May I accompany you until you are safely sheltered from the rain?”

“Don’t go out of your way on my account.”

“It would be my pleasure.”

Padmé is touched by his generosity and gladly accepts. Talking of their expectations for their first year in the senate and what they hope to achieve, they walk to the door of her meeting where she must take her leave.

“Take the umbrella,” he insists, “you may need it again.”

“Thank you, Senator _Clovis_ ,”

“Please, call me Rush." 

By the end of the meeting, the sun has emerged from behind the clouds. Padmé leaves, forgetting the senator’s umbrella by her seat.

* * *

_50\. Party_

“Here comes the party!”

All three of them ignite their lightsabers and wait in ready stances for the blaster shots to come.

“Anakin, are you sure you haven’t been rubbing off on Ahsoka?”

“Hey! It wasn’t my idea to make me a master!”


	6. Chapter 6

_51\. Troubling thoughts_

How they find him, Obi-Wan doesn’t know. He makes Padmé swear one last time the she will not leave the ship – that she will leave immediately if it is not him who emerges from the smoke – that, no matter what happens, she will leave and not look back.

He fears his abilities may not be enough to carry out what must be done. He fears what he must do.

The ash stings his eyes. Obi-Wan would rub them clear but for the soot already on his hands.

A portentous voice comes to him; guides and lures him through the darkness, “Have you come to tell me off for breaking the rules again?”

The ominous figure faces away, looking across the churning lava. His head tells him it is Anakin though he does not recognize the presence. It is the first he believes his brother is gone. Obi-Wan’s heart plummets and he cannot respond.

It disturbs him too much know how easily a blade runs through a person.

“You are speechless, Obi-Wan. What has the galaxy come to?”

“Only what you and your new master have brought it to.”

Slowly – oh so, slowly, his head turns. He glares at Obi-Wan over his shoulder, hate filling the eyes so often lit by laughter. His lip curls.

Obi-Wan finds a sharpened tongue between his teeth, “It’s despicable, the murder of Jedi and innocents, the destruction of the Republic! Worst of all – no, most pitiable, you’ve made yourself a slave, Anakin. I thought you, of all people, would be able to see that. I guess you’re just as short-sighted as the Council thought.”

The Sith lashes out.

Lightsabers clash, unnaturally violent – the crack deafening, the flash blinding, the shudder of the hilts reverberates in their arms.

The end begins.

* * *

_52\. Stirring of the wind_

Ahsoka finds she is too tired to teach when they return from Mandalore, though Set begs. She tells him to be content with meditation. The padawan settles down; the master does not. It is not the training he was hoping for, but it is all Ahsoka has the strength for just now.

His eyelids flutter in concentration; Ahsoka holds her head in her hands, trying to shake a headache and the humiliation of their defeat.

Set jumps up suddenly, startling Ahsoka, “Someone’s coming!”

Excitedly he runs into the hall.

“Set, calm down. There’s no need to swarm them.”

“But what if it’s Master Luke?”

Ahsoka doubts it, she would have sensed him; still she follows Set out the door. Brushing her fingers along the wall, she senses a churning in the air. It energizes the very rock and stone of the Temple.

Turning the corner, Ahsoka meets a new face in the Temple. He wears the same look as so many others she and Luke have asked to join them – hollow eyes and a tired brow; poorly concealing their lost faith in the Force – but he comes with an open mind.

The zabrak bows, “Master Tano, I presume. My name is Jiro Judarrl. I’ve come to learn the ways of the New Jedi Order.”

Their defeat doesn’t seem so desperate now, “We would be honored to teach you, Jiro.”

* * *

_53\. Future_

“Forgive me, but I’m curious. What made you decide to rejoin the Jedi?”

Ahsoka, Luke, and Leia sit in conference with Jiro Judarrl; Prestor fast asleep on his mother’s lap.

Jiro’s appearance at the Temple gives Ahsoka hope they’re doing something right ( _the old Order is coming to them now_ ), but she wants to make sure.

“It’s time for me to stop living in the past,” the zabrak nods to the baby, “and start looking to the future.”

One came to them, perhaps more will follow.

* * *

_54\. Health and healing_

Leia finally convinces Luke to have his prosthetic repaired when the ring and middle fingers lock together, making it impossible to grip anything. She shakes her head and calls him a nerfherder ( _a term he thought she reserved exclusively for Han_ ).

The medical droid chastises him about the condition of the mechanics ( _he may have tried fixing it himself once – or twice_ ) and then tells him to try to keep it from getting damaged ( _like he can control being shot_ ).

“You do have advantages most don’t,” Leia reminds him. It doesn’t annoy him any less. “How did it happen anyway?”

He counts off the damage: getting shot while rescuing Han, the Emperor’s lightning probably didn’t do it any favors, but until this mostly minor scrapes and bruises.

Folding her arms over her chest, “So what happened this time?”

Luke swallows, “I interfered with the beating of a slave.”

“Luke… You were working undercover. You can’t go back there now.”

“I know, but I couldn’t just stand there.”

“How did you get out?”

“Mara. They caught my hand in a whip, my lightsaber fell away, and Mara shot the slaver.”

Sighing, “Whatever progress you two were making could be completely ruined.”

Their ground work was almost done; now they’ll make do with what they have. If they go again, it’ll be a precursor to the assault Ahsoka’s been planning. His blunder hasn’t put the operation in jeopardy.

“I’m sorry, Leia. It was stupid.”

“It was – stupid and noble. I’m surprised it took you this long.”

Luke laughs apprehensively, “Me too.”

“I’ll have to start paying Mara to look out for you if you keep doing stuff like this.”

Neither of them expects it will be the last time something like this happens.

* * *

_55\. Separation_

Her stomach is so big and her ankles are so swollen, she can’t stand to run through the practice drills with Set. Leia watches him from the side.

She feels she is watching the war from the same place.

She didn’t anticipate feeling this separation from the battlefield. She’s grown accustomed to being a part of the action, getting her hands dirty, and standing by the people she loves. She doesn’t like the growing shadow in her mind. Leia fears the blood spilled on white sands.

The Force reassures her it is not Han’s or Luke’s, Ahsoka’s or Mara’s.

Leia’s part is not on Mandalore with the rest; her part is in the Senate and here with Set. She will see it done while they are away.

Here with the baby boy growing inside her.

“They’ll be home soon,” she whispers and tries not to think about how much she misses them.

* * *

_56\. Everything for you_

Han bursts through the door, unsure whether to scoop up his son or catch his wife’s mouth in his first. Somehow he manages both. His hands dig the boy out of Leia’s arms and he presses his lips to hers. Arms emptied, Leia pulls him toward her over the infant’s head.

Heart so full it could rupture; Han unlocks their lips to look down at the baby, but doesn’t dare move another inch away from her.

Leia rests her head on his shoulder, “Prestor, your father made it home.”

“Hey, Pres. I’m dad.”

He’s not sure what overwhelms him more: being home with Leia or finally being able to slip into his new role.

Both are equally perfect to him.

* * *

_57\. Slow down_

Hands and knees do not make for good limbs to chase on, but the floor is Pres’s level and Han isn’t used to his boy’s new habit.

He squirms about the apartment on his stomach surprisingly fast for a baby who only just started to walk. Not that Han has anything to compare his speed too, but Pres disappears from sight far too quickly.

Calling his name and listening for the soft noises Pres makes, Han searches for his son.

“You could help,” he shoots at Chewie, who’s enjoying the show a little too much. Han shushes Chewie before he can respond. “Did you hear that?”

Another gurgle comes from behind the couch.

Pres hides, rocking back and forth, “There you are. Come here, you rascal. You can’t escape dad forever.”

He just has Pres in his grasp when the apartment door slides open. In the gap between the floor and the couch, Han makes out a pair of booted feet. The visitor greets Chewie as Han stands up, the baby tucked under his arm.

“Luke,” he welcomes, still breathless from the hunt, but smirking nonetheless.

Luke does not return his grin. He looks grim.

“We’ve just had word. Katan’s picking off small systems again. We’re shipping out.”

Han’s stomach drops, amusement gone. He was convinced they’d have more time than before Katan resumed causing trouble. _No, not again. It’s too soon._

“When?”

“Almost immediately.”

He swallows and squeezes Pres tighter to him, “Alright. I’m coming.”

Shaking his head, “Not you two – the Jedi. We’re putting an end to this. Leia’s staying to work the Senate end of things.”

Han doesn’t lessen his grip on Prestor any, “Hey, good luck.” Then to Luke’s raised brow, Han uses a phrase he usually reserves for Lando, “You’re gonna need it.”

* * *

_58\. Heartfelt apology_

“This isn’t working for either of us, is it?”

Lando doesn’t think either of them expected it to. Every relationship he’s been in that’s lasted longer than a week is his gauge: things don’t take off as fast as they did with Mara unless they’re going to land just as quickly.

Mara traces the rim of her glass with a finger, “No. Sorry.”

_Well, it was fun while it lasted._

But truth be told, Lando’s relieved, rather than disappointed. He knows a strange vibe when he feels it and there’s definitely been a vibe about Mara since the first night the spent together.

“Breaking it off with you isn’t going to wreck my business with Talon, I take it.”

She snorts, “Business before personal life. You’ve got nothing to worry about with Karrde.”

Best as Lando can tell, they part ways as friends.

* * *

_59\. Challenged_

After weeks of complaining about how much it gets in the way ( _even in a braid_ ), Mara does it – she cuts her hair.

Luke is as astonished as anyone, for as much as she griped about it, she loved it when he tangled his hands in it. ( _“You’ll still be able to,” she points out._ )

Red waves brush her shoulders during the day. At night they splay out across their pillows; Mara smirks at the mild surprise on his face every time the locks slip abruptly through his fingers.

“It doesn’t feel the same,” he explains.

“Are you disappointed?”

No. It’s just different. Mara is still Mara. If anything, he likes the shorter hair on her more; it frames her face, further accentuating or softening the sharper features.

But Luke likes to toy with her as much as she does him, “It’s fine, but how would you feel if I grew a beard without consulting you first?”

She laughs straight up at the ceiling, “Oh come on, Skywalker. We both know you couldn’t pull off a beard if you tried.”

It is the issue of a challenge; one Luke feels strongly he needs to win in order to defend his pride.

* * *

_60\. Exhaustion_

Of all of them, Mara looks the most haggard ( _months of pursuing a relentless enemy and weeks of suspicious whispering behind her back have taken their toll_ ), though Leia has the sense not to say anything about it.

_Better to just get this over and done and get home to Pres._

They don’t get a chance to speak alone until they are on watch together; their warm breath clouding in the chilled air.

Blunt as ever, Mara points out, “You look… pained.”

“It’s been a while since I was on a battlefield.”

“What about Zygerria?”

“I stayed in command. Endor was the last.”

She would expect another former agent of the Empire to rile at the mention of their final and most decisive defeat. But not Mara.

The better Leia comes to know her, she more she recognizes Mara is not as attached to the Empire as she initially appeared; her less than positive opinion of the New Republic notwithstanding. The Jedi Temple really does seem to be the best place for a woman with no allegiance to any government but her own.

“Don’t worry so much. Every battle is the same: survive and win, if you can.”

Her outlook seems rather bleak to Leia; she’s never known any battle ( _even from command_ ) to be the same.

“And protecting the ones you love?”

Recrossing her arms, “You can’t help them if you’re dead.”

Leia is sure Mara’s feelings for Luke, for Ahsoka, for the other Jedi, for her are genuine ( _she cares for them more than she lets on_ ), but it is unnerving to hear her speak this way ( _like she never left the Emperor’s service_ ).

“What happened to Katan’s Imperial informant?” Leia’s not sure what the answer will prove, but she has to hear Mara say it herself.

“He killed himself.” Though her tone is cool, it reveals a hidden tremble.

She feared more for others than for herself. It’s enough to drive anyone to exhaustion.


	7. Chapter 7

_61\. Accuracy_

“I grow tired of the same story, Master Tano. I want the truth.”

Ahsoka stands firm, “Darth Vader did everything in his power to kill my master and then kill me. That _is_ the truth, Chancellor. Now I want to know when you’re sending reinforcements.”

“I cannot call up the armed forces until this matter is resolved.”

Butting heads with Mon Mothma isn’t easy. She’s a harder and shrewder woman than Ahsoka gave her credit for.

( _No matter how they put it, she’s bound to see through._ )

“What do you intend to do if these rumors are substantiated? Condemn Luke for the sins of the father? Do you realize how antiquated that sounds?”

“You are letting your feelings get the better of you. You may have been a padawan during the fall of the Republic, but you forget I was a senator long before you were brought to the Temple. I have seen more Sith uprisings than I care to remember.”

“You forget this is a New Jedi Order, one which supports its own and is not under your jurisdiction.”

“Perhaps not, but Skywalker is a Republic citizen –”

Losing her temper, Mara shouts, “And your rebellion’s hero!”

“The Republic has not forgotten his contributions, nor has it forgotten your history, Mara Jade.” Her last words are bone-chillingly cold.

Mara glares at the holo and shrinks back into the corner, her arms tight across her chest. She hasn’t been this closed off since before she joined the Order; shutting people out even before Luke was gone, expecting them to accuse her of deceit.

They don’t, but there is overwhelming doubt throughout the Order.

Ahsoka feels it too: the resentment. ( _Why weren’t they told? Can’t they be trusted too?_ ) They were struck by these rumors ( _truths_ ) with such alarming accuracy; no one’s had the time to process it properly.

Mothma speaks pointedly, “It is regrettable Skywalker should come under suspicion like this, after all he has done, but he is not an exception. Protecting him will do you no service.”

“The Jedi Order doesn’t abandon its own.”

 

* * *

 

_62\. Irregular orbit_

At least, the agents who come to arrest Luke have the courtesy not to put him in binders, or maybe they’re reluctant to see their rebellion’s hero disgraced ( _for once, he is grateful for the title_ ).

He would rather leave his lightsaber in Mara’s keeping, but surrenders it to his guards without complaint. There’s no cause for incivility.

Still, Luke feels an overwhelming sense of dread come over him when Coruscant comes into view. His fate is no longer in his hands ( _bound or unbound_ ).

He is escorted through a deserted landing bay. The Republic has no intention of making a spectacle of him. It is too damning an affair for all of them.

“Luke!” Han shouts across the empty hangar.

The guards form a blockade around Luke, preventing Han from coming any closer.

“Step back, General Solo. We are under direct order from the Chancellor. The prisoner is not permitted to –”

In the guard’s face, “To hell with Mothma!” He turns his attention to Luke, “How you doing?”

“Same as always.”

“That bad, huh?”

They can’t say much, not without raising suspicions any further. It’s like they’re speaking in code: _Things are bad. We’ll pull through. We always do._

“Take care of yourself ( _and Leia and Pres_ ). It’s what you’re best at.” Last time he said it, Luke meant it to have a bite. It’s filled with thankfulness this time.

Han takes the hint. “May the Force be with you, kid.”

They’ve gone on too long; Luke’s guards are getting antsy. He’s led away, leaving Han alone. Luke looks back; he didn’t know if he was going to see Han again last time they had this exchange either.

 

* * *

 

_63\. Cold embrace_

Mara fights the urge to greet _Lady Luck_ as it lands. Instead she stays in her tent, too ashamed to show her face.

Low murmurs blow in with the wind; people welcoming him back and directing the new recruits around the base. They should be unstoppable: their steadfast leader returned, reinforcements spilling throughout the camp, a new energy driving them forward.

She did everything in her power to make sure he came back to her. She’s not so sure he’ll want to after what she’s done.

“Where is she?”

A moment later, the tent flap is lifted. Mara flinches in the additional dim light. Luke swallows hard and sits next to her.

Neither reaches for the other. She can’t even look at him. She missed him so much, she longs for the feel of him, but she doesn’t deserve him.

“I’m not sorry.” ( _One wretched man’s life for the sake of Luke’s freedom – a small price to pay._ )

“Well, you should be,” a cold, disappointed vehemence Mara didn’t know Luke was capable of; the air is sucked from her lungs. “Why did you do it?”

Tensions rising, “Because you can’t expect me to do nothing while you’re in danger. I will do whatever is necessary.”

“Even kill a man,” his disdain is plain.

“I’ve killed dozens of men! And so have you! How is this different?!”

“The intent behind it, Mara! You know better than this!”

“Maybe I do, but I won’t sacrifice your life for it!”

Luke is silent, either unable or unwilling to respond. The air thick with antagonism; things have not been this way between them since they met. If she jeopardized his feelings for her, so be it. She is secure in the knowledge she did everything she could.

Anger abating, he presses his forehead to hers. His hands cup her face, forcing her to look at him. “I suppose – in some way – my life has always been in your hands, Mara. But I need time to deal with this.”

She loves him, regardless of what he thinks of her actions; he doesn’t need to read her mind to know that.

 

* * *

 

_64\. Frost_

Luke isn’t invigorated by their recent onslaught of victories.

They feel empty and false. Strategically and tactically significant to their campaign, yes, but meaningless to him. They were bought with the life of that man. It doesn’t matter who he was or what he did Luke isn’t sure it was the right price.

Ahsoka watches over him. He wishes she wouldn’t; she should celebrate with the rest of them.

He wishes he could talk to Mara, but he doesn’t dare break his self-imposed exile from her. He’s afraid he’ll only get angry with her again.

“You’re not angry with Mara; you’re feeling guilty and punishing both of you for it. You can be sure Katan won’t make her last stand an easy fight. We might not come out of it again. Don’t go into it like this.”

She might have punctuated it with ‘Skywalker’ for the kick it gives him.

“Go!”

Mara can call him ‘farmboy’ all she wants; just as long as she knows he loves her.

Luke finds Mara apart from the others, hugging herself to keep warm. He wraps his arms around her too and the changing wind isn’t quite so biting. Their frosted shoulders begin to thaw.

“I’m sorry.”

“No. You’re right, I –”

He cuts her off, kissing her chapped lips. Then presses his forehead to hers once again, the strain of missing her gone from the pit of his stomach.

“Don’t ever tell me I’m right when you know I’m not.”

“Won’t happen again, farmboy.”

 

* * *

 

_65\. A moment in time_

Leia attends mother’s bedside. She reads aloud from her holobook though mother’s eyes are vacant, not really listening. Their dullness upsets Leia, but she would rather be here than miles away at school.

She tries to speak louder than the howling blizzard outside; her voice soon grows tired.

Mother’s eyelids droop heavily, close to sleep, but when Leia stops reading her head turns alert.

“You read so eloquently, my dear.”

Leia doesn’t know how to respond. She smiles weakly.

She wishes mother was well. That she was on her feet, planning the Alliance’s next secret dinner party or overseeing the new orphanage. Anywhere but in this bed.

The doctor and accompanying med-droid tell _her_ there is nothing to worry about. But they keep their voices hushed when they speak to father, his face harrowed and drawn.

Leia’s fist shakes; she doesn’t like being lied to.

Mother reaches a clammy hand out. Leia’s fingers unfurl and wrap around mother’s.

“I will be better by spring. You’ll see.”

There are only traces of snow when Breha passes; it melts into cold puddles as hot tears stain pale cheeks. Winter’s chill clings like the daughter to her father.

 

* * *

 

_66\. Dangerous territory_

Ahsoka doesn’t sleep well in Coruscant’s reemerging lap of luxury. A strange thing to complain about when she’s laying down in a large bed with soft pillows, but it is a comfort to which she is not accustomed.

Her room is too big, too empty.

Entering it the first time Ahsoka froze.

She cowered in fear from her brother in a room like this. She doesn’t think she will ever sleep well in any room like it. Every minute spent in it feels like another moment with her back to the door and her knees folded to her chest.

The first thing she does when they finish restoring one wing of the Temple is move into one of the smaller rooms.

Leia tries to convince her to stay; Ahsoka can’t explain why she _has_ to leave ( _it may just be the one story about Padmé she can never tell in its entirety_ ).

She sleeps better, safe in the arms of the Force.

 

* * *

 

_67\. Boundaries_

Luke’s known her long enough now to know when Mara needs her space. If he gives it to her she’ll eventually come back to him. She doesn’t always make it easy to be patient with her.

He wanted to be so angry with her when he reached the medical outpost, but the second he caught sight of her on the cot he was too relieved for a fight. He couldn’t even bring himself to shout at Mara in order to distract from the contractions.

“Would you like to hold her?” Mara offers. She can sense he’s upset. ( _It is supposed to be reconciliation._ )

“I may not give her back.”

He hates how cuttingly selfish it sounds, how Mara’s eyes drop at the accusation. He immediately feels guilty for it.

They don’t say anything for a moment. Their daughter sleeps in her mother’s arms.

“I was going to come back.”

“Gods, Mara. Don’t you think I know that?”

Her brows knits, “But –”

“You left without telling me. I was out of my mind with worry. I didn’t know where you were – if you were okay. I just wish you would have told me you were leaving, I would have gone with you.”

Luke takes a shallow breath.

It seems as if Mara won’t respond, but then, “You would have come with me?”

“I don’t think I would have been able to talk you out of it.”

Mara smiles slightly.

“Here. Hold her.”

Their daughter is passed into his arms and Luke feels his heart fill. Truly glad for the first time their family is all together at last.

Chuckling, “You know, I might not be able to give her up.”

Mara purses her lips in mock irritation, Luke can’t help but lean forward to kiss her.

 

* * *

 

_68\. Unsettling revelations_

Luke scratches the new hair on his chin and smirks as if Mara can’t see him laughing at her.

Of course she noticed Set stiffen when she entered the room, she’s not blind. And now she commands his full attention as she tries to explain how to improve the new technique he’s learning.

She doesn’t mind Set’s crush, but she could do without it just as well ( _his unblinking eyes are unnerving_ ).

“You’ve got an admirer,” Luke jabs, once Set leaves to call home.

“Jealous?”

“No. Should I be?”

Mara thinks, for a moment, about punishing Luke for teasing her about the poor kid, but reconsiders. Settling on a different method of torment, “Hardly. He barely has any stubble. Then again…”

Luke knits his brow, the vain attempt to grow a beard scrunching in the process. “Oh, no. You made the bet, now you have to live with it. Besides, it’s not like cutting your hair off – it’s only been a few days.”

Mara shrugs, not listening and moving in closer to his prickly face. It scratches her skin as her lips graze his cheek.

“Keep trying, Skywalker. I’m getting curious to know what this’ll look like full grown.”

They’ve drawn apart slightly by the time Set returns.

Mara, with no reason to intrude on his lesson anymore, decides it’s time to take her leave. She’ll let the boy down as easily as she can – later.

**Author's Note:**

> See author bio for discussion on this 'verse.


End file.
